It was 3 pm on a random weekday. I had some
work near Egmore. Chennai showed its
true colours with the heat and dust in its most aggressive form. My body was a pool of sweat and I was craving
for a drop of water as though I was stuck in Thar Desert. It suddenly sparked in me. I need a big Air
Conditioner RIGHT NOW. I asked my auto anna to go to Express Avenue for obvious
reasons.
There it was... My big Air Conditioner with
its nickname EA. I almost ran into the entrance to get merrily engulfed by some
cool air. I blatantly ignored the ‘Do not Loiter’ sign and did the very same
for half an hour and ended up in Big Bazar. This shop with no queue in the
billing station is a rarity and that tempted me to do some grocery shopping. By
the time I decided to leave my sojourn, my belly was grumbling for its evening
meal.
I hate EA food court. Period. For starters
I don’t drink juices and I hate fast food. Usually Sangeetha is my choice to
dine at EA. But today I didn’t feel like eating there. Familiarity has bred
contempt. I went to Kapila Dasa instead.
The moment you enter Dasa you realise how
much noisier the rest of the mall is. It seems like a different place
altogether. The restaurant is spacious with ample amount of privacy ensured. It
bustles with crowd in the lunch and dinner time but never overwhelms. As I
visited the place in a very unlikely time as per Indian standards the visitors
were scarce. Only 2 or 3 tables were occupied. I insisted on a seat with a
view.
The menu arrived. It was a simple no fussy
sorta menu. The restaurant specialises in South Indian food. My Pcos radar
started scanning the menu and the crispy Uthappam fitted my needs for an
evening meal. There is quite a lot of topping options for your Uthappam
including cheese. I opted for mixed vegetable topping.
It takes at least ten minutes for your order
to arrive your table. I sat and people watched. There was this little girl who
was speaking fluently in three different languages and I mused how in the
future I have to face the challenge of raising my future kids as multi-lingual.
The food arrived and brought me back to the real world where I am just a
student who relies on her parents for almost everything.
This is my Uthappam.
Doesn’t it look like a smaller version of
Pizza?!
It was accompanied by coconut chutney and
tomato chutney. The sambar arrived in a separate insulated vessel.
With all the build-ups I expected the
sambar to be piping hot. But it was cold. It tasted like Mysore Sambar. You
know.... sambar with a sweet taste. It isn’t a problem with me though. But I
didn’t like their tomato chutney. It tasted like a mix between ketchup and
chutney. I quite liked their coconut chutney.
But the main protagonist is my uthappam and
it was delish
My mixed vegetable topping is a mix of
capsicum, onion and cilantro with a generous amount of idly podi. The chef has
managed to turn the upper part of my uthappam into a crispy crust and the rest
of the uthappam is spongy and light just as it should be.
I demolished my meal and emerged back into
the rest of the mall. Oh... I like their washroom.
Yup!! I am one of those people who can
dismiss a restaurant for having a tacky washroom.
My overall rating for the restaurant:
Food quality - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Cleanliness - 8/10
Price value -
It is a bit on the pricier side. My small meal costed me 200 bucks (193
to be exact)
PCOS verdict: It is PCOS FRIENDLY. If you
make your choices wisely you can have a healthy and tasty food @ Kapila Dasa`
P.S:
No food is as healthy and good as home-made food. But, of course we all
have our excuses ;-p)
